"Pandemic Fatigue" Fueled Political Discontent: Evidence From 8 Western Countries Over 11 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The political discontent triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic – including public protesting and the airing of anti-elite sentiments – is reminiscent of discontent often associated with populism. Research on populism has highlighted a sense of vulnerability and loss of control as drives of populism. Similarly, health authorities and researchers have highlighted “pandemic fatigue” as a central psychological consequence of the pandemic, which may fuel political discontent. On this basis, we ask how pandemic fatigue developed over the course of the pandemic and whether it fueled populist sentiments. Utilizing longitudinal and panel surveys collected from September 2020 to July 2021 in eight Western democracies, we analyze: (1) fatigue over time at the country level, (2) associations between pandemic fatigue and discontent, and (3) the effect of pandemic fatigue on political discontent using panel data. We find that pandemic fatigue significantly increases with time and the severity of lockdowns but also decreases with COVID-19 deaths. When triggered, fatigue elicits a broad range of discontent, including protest support and conspiratorial thinking. The results demonstrate the importance of distress for the activation of populism and discontent. As discussed, the results also highlight a need for distinguishing between aggressive and submissive aspects of populism.

The legislative cost of ruling: Voter punishment of governing parties fuels legislator party dissent

“…This allows for a test of whether a change in legislator dissent from t −1 to t 0 correlates with a change in these independent variables from t 0 to t 1 . Absent such a correlation, we can be confident that a change in our independent variables is not a function of prior levels of legislator dissent (for applications, see Dinas et al., 2019; Jørgensen et al., 2022). Third, in the two‐way fixed effects models, we add unit‐specific linear time trends, which capture smooth changes in unobserved confounders.…”

“…Third, in the two‐way fixed effects models, we add unit‐specific linear time trends, which capture smooth changes in unobserved confounders. In practice, this corresponds to adding a third set of fixed effects for the interaction between the individual‐ and time variables, which ensures that potentially time‐varying confounding is controlled out (for applications in political science, see, e.g., Dinas et al., 2019; Jørgensen et al., 2022). While some controversy remains over whether to include unit trends, the concern is that it may constitute a conservative test by biasing coefficients towards zero (Goodman‐Bacon, 2021).…”

Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences Interculturally

“…When the environment becomes unstable, our psychology assesses the situation as potentially dangerous, implying that negative outcomes are more likely to occur. 512 This heightened awareness means we are prepared to face possible danger if the threat becomes real. The impact of this process can be illustrated through studies examining the dynamics of a work environment.…”

Évaluation de la structure factorielle et des qualités psychométriques de l'Échelle de Fatigue Pandémique parmi la population adulte québécoise: Evaluation of the factorial structure and psychometric qualities of the Pandemic Fatigue Scale among Quebec adult population

“…Cet instrument a souvent été utilisé sans que sa structure factorielle et ses qualités psychométriques soient évaluées. [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Peu d'analyses ont été effectuées pour déterminer la structure de l'ÉFP depuis la publication de Lilleholt et coll. 11 Dans un article récent, Asimakopoulou et coll.…”

“…Cet instrument a souvent été utilisé sans que sa structure factorielle et ses qualités psychométriques soient évaluées. 15–25…”